Around 40,000 Sri Lankans living overseas are expected to be repatriated, The Sunday Morning learnt.
Chief Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said the process would be staggered.
“I believe some 40,000-odd Sri Lankans are to be brought back in the coming months. However, they would not all be brought down at once due to the Covid-19 regulations,” he said.
He stated that the Sri Lankans would be repatriated according to the quarantine capacity available in the country.
“They will be brought down in batches and even then, we will bring down only so many as we have to make sure there is enough space for quarantine,” he said.
He said that at present, Sri Lanka had sufficient quarantine capacity.
“We have enough quarantine centres, especially since there are no more cases arising from society except from the Navy.”
(The Morning)